Kwale is one of the counties in Kenya that experiences severe droughts. Whenever this happens, the communities in the region are forced to deal with hunger pangs due to poor harvests. This affects the families’ living standards, as they largely depend on agricultural activities for their livelihood.
Pastor Richard Mazera of Mnyenzeni PEFA Church is one of the community residents whom Possibilities Africa (PA) partners with to champion transformation.
Through Possibilities Africa training, he realized that while natural disasters like droughts are inevitable, proper planning and early intervention can significantly reduce their negative effects.
Pastor Richard shared this newfound knowledge with the church after participating in PA training. He organized his congregation into Shalom groups. The women’s Shalom group, in particular, was interested in vegetable farming, but they understood that addressing the water shortage was crucial for the project’s success.
To store water during the short rains expected in November and December, the group is building trench dams. The water collected and stored in the wells will be used to irrigate the crops.
Pastor Richard has encouraged the women’s group to apply smart farming techniques, such as mulching, to conserve water during farming. To further enhance the group’s skills, the church, in collaboration with the Agriculture Department of Kwale County, plans to train the members on vegetable farming in September.
The ongoing project is funded by money collected through table banking and merry-go-round activities, where members meet every Sunday after the service. These financial empowerment activities were also covered in the Possibilities Africa training.
